My mower arrived with a part missing. There's a rod 3 foot long rod needed to connect the lever that changes speeds to the deck of the mower that actually propels the mower.

I called and asked that the part be sent to me.
The part arrived about a week after I asked for it.

I connected the rod as described in the assembly brochure and the self propelling system would not work. The rod was frozen in place and would not move.

I called Mowers Direct for help. They said they did not offer tech support and gave me the phone number of a Snapper dealer in my area. I called them. They said they stopped carrying Snapper mowers over two years ago and had no idea why Mowers Direct was still sending tech calls to them.

So I went on to the internet and found another Snapper dealer who could offer tech support, he was about 90 minutes away. Most of that call was spent with me listening to him tell me why I should have bought from him and not from an internet company that did not offer tech support. But my problem was not resolved.

Then I called a friend who is a pretty good mechanic and asked him to come over and look at the mower with me.

The reason the self propelling system was frozen in place was because a portion of it was assembled backwards and upside down. After we corrected that and whacked a rod back into it's correct position the self propeller works. However, I'm a little over 6 feet tall. The mower handle is supposed to telescope about 4 inches longer so it will fit me a little better. In order to use the telescope, I must disengage the self propeller. Remember that missing rod? It's too short to allow for the handle to telescope.

My mower arrived with a part missing. There's a rod 3 foot long rod needed to connect the lever that changes speeds to the deck of the mower that actually propels the mower.

I called and asked that the part be sent to me.
The part arrived about a week after I asked for it.

I connected the rod as described in the assembly brochure and the self propelling system would not work. The rod was frozen in place and would not move.

The mower arrived in great shape and assembly was not complicated. It is well made, sturdy, and should last forever. Learning to use the ground and engine seed levers can be accomplished in the first few minutes of use.

I would recommend the manufacturer add a tag to the oil plug warning that the engine needs oil before initial use. I checked the the dip stick and found some oil on the dip stick that indicated oil might have already been added to the engine. This didn't make sense to me so I tipped the mower over(as when changing the oil) and discovered it had no oil. The oil I saw on the dip stick must have been some light oil added to the engine to prevent rust. Instruction in the manual simply say check the oil level before each use. A RED tag, attached to the oil filler tube warning of the need to add oil before initial use, is strongly suggested.

Use of the mower is another story. First, it is difficult to start. I've used the mower three times now and it takes between 18 and 35 pulls of the starting cord to get the motor to turn over. I'm 72 years old and starting the mower almost exhausts me of the energy I have to cut the entire lawn!

Second, use of the Drive Control is unsatisfactory. It is either fully engaged or not. I need a Drive Control that I can just "tap" to move foreword a few inches or so and then stop. I need this capability when cutting grass around our several flower beds. This is very difficult to do with this Drive Control design. I end up manually pushing and pulling the mower a few inches at a time when cutting grass around circular and scalloped flower beds. A better design would have been a "handle" you squeeze to engage and release the drive mechanism. I can then move at the speed and distance the task requires. The current design requires me to remove one hand from the mower, grab the Drive Control, lay it down on the mower handle, and re-grip the mower handle to move the mower forward. To stop the forward movement, I must again let go of the mower handle, lift the Drive Control (it does not snap to the vertical on its own), and re-grip the handle. That is a lot of motion required when you want to move only a short distance!

The NINJA blade needs major redesign. It simple does not cut all the grass. It leaves several blades of grass uncut on every pass! I end up going over the same area of lawn two and three times to get everything cut. That is unacceptable. Since I was still in the learning phase in use of the mower, I kept adjusting the mower and engine speed levers thinking I was moving the mower over the lawn too fast and the blade too slow. But I ended up with the same unsatisfactory results. During the third use of the mower I got so frustrated with the poor cutting job that stopped mowing and switched to the standard blade. That made cutting the lawn just great. One pass and the job is done and it looks great.

I would not recommend this mower to my friends and I would caution them about its' several shortcomings. For the money spent on the mower, I expected better performance.

The mower arrived in great shape and assembly was not complicated. It is well made, sturdy, and should last forever. Learning to use the ground and engine seed levers can be accomplished in the first few minutes of use.

I would recommend the manufacturer add a tag to the oil plug warning that the engine needs oil before initial use. I checked the the dip stick and found some oil on the dip stick that indicated oil might have already been added to the engine. This didn't make sense to me so... more

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Billy S.Jacksonville, FL

Purchased 11/17/13

2 Reviews

REVIEWED

DEC.

09

2013

Thanks

Purchased my mower and this product from Mowers Direct, delivery was fast, price was great, and very happy with this transaction.

Pros:Durable, Easy To Use, Reliable

Cons:Expensive

Billy Recommends This Snapper Product

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